The Shroud of Mystery
by blue-glass-boat
Summary: Clary Fray attends a mundane high school, with her best friend (a mundane) Simon. She's a Shadowhunter, but how can you be an amazing Shadowhunter if you hunt with your mother and one ither girl y our age? But something weird is going on with Jace, the school player, and Clary wants to get to the bottom of it. AU, a little OOC, details inside!
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my first MI fic. Just to clear a few things up, Clary still has her rune power, she knows she's a Shadowhunter, but doesn't know of anyone else who is at her school. She goes by Fray, but knows her mother's real last name is Fairchild.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Mortal Instruments series or characters.**

**Enjoy!**

Clary sighed as she pushed through the orange swinging doors that closed over the school. Yet another year starting. The air felt thick with the heavy scent of perfumes and the feeling of back-to-school excitement that was equally mixed with dread. Clary let herself zone out, imagining sketching the chaos of the Brooklyn traffic visible from her apartment window. A sharp collision jolted her from the wistful daydream. "Sorry." Clary mumbled, not pausing to see who it was she bumped into. "Clary! Clary, wait!" She looked back. Simon was rushing after her, trying to get her attention and fight through the masses of students. She smiled as he finally caught up. "What's going on?" Simon straightened himself out "Thanks for banging into me. That's gonna leave a bruise!" He huffed. "Eric wants to name the band Cane Toad Fire. I don't think that's quite…" Clary let his rambling fade into the background noise of the hallways. She watched everyone with an artists eye. The harsh fluorescent lighting that washed out pretty much everything, the jumble of colours presented in the clothes and books surrounding her, the dull metals of the lockers. Her hands itched for her pencils and sketchbook. "Fray!" Simon exclaimed, snapping his fingers in front of her eyes. Oops. He'd noticed that she was drifting again. "You in there?"

"Yeah. Sorry, Simon. Just distracted." Clary pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear impatiently- only to have it fall forward again. They arrived at their lockers- only a couple of feet away from each other. As Clary spun the dial to her lock, she heard flirtatious giggles behind her. Ugh. Jace Wayland was, as usual, surrounded by a gaggle of a adoring girls. He accepted their advances readily enough, earning his reputation as a player. He had it all- the golden looks, the air of importance, the intelligence (even of it was wasted on getting more admirers), and the talent. Captain of the rugby team, he often led the team to win many competitions. Clary turned away from the crowd focusing on getting the books she needed. Art and then history. She sighed. Art was her best subject, but history? Her mum had taught her all of the history concerning the Nephilim and Downworlders, and unfortunately, mundane history was just plain boring. Not that they learnt Shadowhunter history at her school. She didn't know of anyone in her school who was a fellow Shadowhunter. When she hunted, she either had to go with her mum's friends daughter (who lived half an hour away) Aline or her mum. Aline was nice and all, but she said what came into her head, when it came into her head. Sighing again, Clary locked her locker, met Simon and headed to their classes.

That day they were doing still life sketches. Sketches were one of her strengths, so Clary happily immersed herself in her drawing. All too soon, the class was over and Clary was headed to history. Finally, a class with Simon! Someone sat down heavily in the seat next to her. "Hey Simon." She said not looking up. "I don't know if I can make it to that gig on—" Clary glanced up. It wasn't Simon sitting next to her. No, Simon was standing a few feet away, looking confused. "Um…hi?" She ventured to Jace, who was sitting there, staring at the corner of her history book. Looking at a new rune that had surfaced in Clary's mind while doing history homework last night. She had no idea what it did- the meaning wouldn't divulge itself to her, no matter how hard she tried. "Jace." That snapped him out if his daze. He looked at her and fixed a smile in place, but Clary could still see the unsettled look in his eyes. "So. I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me sometime." She just stared at him. What the hell was going on? JACE WAYLAND was asking her out?! Had she misheard him or something? He nudged her hand with a piece of paper. Slowly, Clary looked down at the paper. _It's a dare, don't worry about it_ was scrawled across the page. Did that mean she should say yes? Or no? "Uh. Sorry Jace." He shrugged and went back to his friends, who were laughing their heads off. She scowled. Of course. What else would it be? Simon thumped his stuff down at the desk Jace had just vacated. Clary braced herself. "What the hell was that?!" he demanded loudly. "Relax, Simon. It was just a dare." she replied calmly. His brow furrowed. "Are you quite sure?" Clary rolled her eyes and showed him the paper Jace left behind. "Look. No need to get all protective about it." He shut up, but Clary could tell it wasn't over. "Clary Fray! Is your chatting more interesting than my class? I'd like to have a talk with you after school. And Wayland, you can see me then too, for excessive talking." Mr. Starkweather had started the lesson while Clary had been talking to Simon. Oh well. He was just a grumpy history teacher. Jace started to raise his hand and then put it back down again muttering something that sounded like "I was seeing you anyway, no need to make excuses. No one notices that…" and after that it was just angry mumbling. Not that Clary was trying to listen. She wondered what that was about. It was probably something boring like extra history. With that thought in her mind, she started to take notes on what Mr. Starkweather was speaking about.

**This is a chapter story. I'll update quickly most of the time, but otherwise sorry for sporadic updates!**


	2. Chapter 2

**For everyone who told me what you thought of it, thanks. I am so sorry for not updating for a month, but hopefully this will make it up to you! I have exams coming up (I'm 'studying' right now), so I'm going to post the next chapter fairly soon in hopes that I can start updating regularly.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything (characters etc.). It all belongs to Cassandra Clare.**

The rest of the day was pretty miserable. No more classes with Simon, and lunch was ridden with him moping about something or other. The final bell rang, and for a second, Clary was buoyed by the 'yippee! School's out' feeling, but then she remembered the 'talk' with Mr. Starkweather. She hurried to her locker, got her books and bag, and made her way to his room. As Clary neared the room, she could hear voices echoing out into the corridor. …Hodge, you know I'm more than ready to begin the advanced course…dedicated than anyone's seen in awhile…pretty much the best of our generation…" Jace's voice- she was fairly sure it was Jace- kept fading in and out. The rumbling reply of 'Hodge' set Clary on edge. "…Shadowhunters need…of course it's good to be humble…". Shadowhunters? She bit back a gasp of surprise as she peered around the doorway. She thought that they- it was Jace and Mr. Starkweather- were talking about history or soccer or something school related. Jace was sitting on one of the front desks, scowling and crossing his arms, while Mr. Starkweather was standing and crossing his arms as well. Clary couldn't help but notice the muscle in Jace's arms flex impressively as he crossed his arms, and the dark golden colour of his eyes. She shook herself out of her trance. This was no time to be admiring Jace! Clary walked into the room and cleared her throat loudly. Both of them jumped when they saw her standing there impatiently. "Uh, C-Clary!" Mr. Starkweather stuttered. Clary looked at him suspiciously, and then at Jace. "How long were you standing there?" She wondered if she should tell them that she was a shadowhunter. But… what if she misheard them? It wasn't worth blowing her cover now if it was just a mistake conjured up by her desperate-for-company mind. "Just got here." She said, deciding to play it cool. "You wanted to speak to me, Mr. Starkweather?"

"Certainly, Ms. Fray. Talking in my class is unacceptable and this is the most recent in a long line of conversations conducted while I have been teaching. If I don't see a change soon, I may have to look into detention." Clary panicked. Detention, which went from 4:00 until 6, cut solidly into demon hunting time- and that's if her mother let her hunt after receiving one. It would probably be textbooks all round for her if that happened. "It won't happen again, sir. I promise." Clary replied hastily. Plus, she wanted to do a little detective work on Jace. If he really was a shadowhunter, she might finally have some company, even if it had to be the player of the school.

Clary followed Jace out to the parking lot after her 'talk'. They weren't actually walking together, but they were both aware of each other's presence. Clary got out her phone, seeing as she had told Simon to leave without her if it got past 3:45. At 4, with no more school buses, she was going to have to get her mother to pick her up. "Clary." Her head jerked up to find Jace standing on front of her. "Need a lift?" Weird. Since when did Jace think about other people? "Ah, sure. Thanks." She followed him to his car. Isabelle and Alec Lightwood, the only people he really let in to his life permanently were waiting by the car. When they caught sight of Jace and Clary, Isabelle cried out. "Where the hell have you been? We've been waiting for 20 minutes!"

"Relax, Isabelle. I had to talk to Hod– Mr. Starkweather." He replied, glancing at Clary. That only seemed to infuriate Isabelle more. Only she didn't say anything. She just glared. Jace sighed and unlocked the car. "Well? What are you waiting for?Christmas? Get in." He said to Clary. She went around to the back door with an annoyed look at Jace. She shouldn't have expected him to be nice just because he offered her a lift home. She hopped into the backseat with Alec. Isabelle sat up the front, murmuring to Jace something about a new toy. Clary tried to stifle her annoyance. She knew what Isabelle thought- that Clary was just another girl seeking Jace's attentions. Something in her hardened. "Jace, you don't have to drop me home. I can just ring someone to pick me up." She said and started to open the door. "Clary, wait! It's fine. No big deal!" He said quickly. She frowned. Now this was weirding her out. What was wrong with him? "It's fine." He repeated, more calmly. "Ok." she said hesitantly. She shut the door and Jace started driving. After giving him directions to her house, he started talking. "So, I know you were standing there when I was talking to Mr. Starkweather. How much did you hear?" Clary's breath quickened. So this was what it was all about. "Jace–" said Alec warningly. "Clary?" Was all Jace had to say in reply. "I could only hear bits and pieces." Clary decided to give him part of the truth. There was hardly any doubt in her mind now. He was a shadowhunter. Were Alec and Isabelle too? If he was willing to being this up in front if them, they could be. Should she play it safe, or risk everything? "Why do you care though, Jace? What was it about?" He stiffened visibly. The tension could be cut with a knife. "Oh, nothing important. Is this your house?" It was. Clary had been so focused on the conversation she hadn't noticed where they were. She got her bag and got out. "Thanks for the ride, Jace." She shut the door firmly and walked up the path to her house. It wasn't anything fancy, but the lawn with the old trampoline on it and the worn fence covered in bushes said home to her. Clary opened the door and pocketed her keys. "Mum?" She yelled out. "Hello, Clary. I'm just working now, I'll be down in a minute. Aline will be here soon to go hunting with you. You should get ready." Clary brightened. At least this day wouldn't be a total failure.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow. Two chapters in two days! I was absolutely dying to get this chapter finished and posted. It's definitely my favorite so far. I'd like to say thanks to everyone who's reviewed, followed or favorited this story! It makes my day! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything- it all belongs to Cassandra Clare.**

Clary hurled the seraph blade at the final demon, taking out the last of the four. Dark ichor splattered onto the ground as Clary tucked her hair out of her eyes in characteristic gesture. Aline brushed herself off. "Nice." She nodded to Clary. "Let's get out if here." They were in Central Park, near one of the entrances to the faerie court. They started trudging off through the muddy grass to the subway. "Hey, Aline," Clary begun hesitantly, "Have you ever met Shadowhunters around our age called Alec or Isabelle?" Aline frowned. "No, I don't remember meeting anyone like that in Idris. I'm pretty sure the head of the New York Institute has a kid called Alec though." Clary sighed. Probably not them. They reached the street. "Any new runes lately?" Aline asked. "One. I can't figure out what it means though. Can I show it to you?"

"Fine by me." Clary got out her stele. They were glamoured, but she still glanced around to check if anyone was watching. She set the tip to a stone wall and drew, letting her mind relax. "There." Aline squinted at it. "Huh. That almost looks like a binding rune, combined with the heating one."

"Yeah," Clary replied absently, considering what it could do.

As they hopped on the subway, Clary saw a flash of gold in her peripheral vision. She spun quickly, her boots squeaking loudly on the hard floor, but saw nothing except the dingy interior and the regular crowd. Besides, they were glamoured. No ordinary human would be able to see them anyway. "Are you ok?" Aline asked. "Yeah. I just thought I saw something." Clary frowned, grasping the pole jutting up from the floor to keep her balance. She was still carefully scanning the carriage. Today was all about confusion it seemed. Her eyes roamed over a couple of goth-like teenagers, dressed all in black clothing with dark tattoos. She moved on. And then snapped back. _Grace._ The rune had jumped out at her. Runes! "Aline." She mum muted softly but urgently. "Look at the people to your left. Casually, quickly- just glance." Aline did as she said. "So?" She whispered. "Runes. And gear." Clary explained as quietly as she could. Aline glanced again, and her expression turned incredulous. "Our stop's next. You might want to grab your stuff." Clary said loudly, waiting to see if they looked over. One did. A dark haired boy with brilliant blue eyes. Clary found herself analyzing his features in an artist's perspective until it was all she could do not to gasp loudly. She knew that boy. Alec Lightwood. One of the few people Jace allowed near him. And sure enough sitting next to him was Jace. "Oh my god." Clary mumbled to herself. She overheard Jace and Mr. Starkweather's conversation, but having confirmed that there were 3 more Shadowhunters at her school- at least- was a slap in the face. How could she have missed this? "Clary!" Aline was shaking her. "What?" She snapped out of her reverie. "This is our stop!" Aline looked as if this wasn't the first time she'd said- or the second. Clary quickly leapt up and off the subway. "That was strange." Aline thought aloud. "I assumed that there weren't anymore Shadowhunters in this area." Clary still felt shocked.

"Isabelle!" A loud voice bellowed across the platform. Clary turned for a second- just in time to see Isabelle Lightwood zip past, in four inch boots no less. How could she hunt with those on? But, more importantly, why had they got off at the same station as her? Merely a coincidence? She steered herself and Aline closer to Alec and Jace. "...Still registering demonic activity outside the station." Clary's ears perked up. Where there demons around here? She jerked on Aline's arm quickly, her eyes zeroing in on Jace and Alec and seeing nothing else. "What?" Aline hissed, annoyed. Clary was too caught up to really care. "See those Shadowhunters? They were talking about demonic activity _outside the station_." Aline's eyes lit up the way Clary knew hers were right now. "As in, this station?" She grinned. "Probably." Clary began discreetly following them, knowing that if Alec, Jace or Isabelle caught sight of them it was all over. Aline was following so closely Clary could _feel _her, and her heart was pounding, but not because of the hunt. The real reason she was so excited was that she finally might have found some other Shadowhunters at her school. Other people to share the weirdness of the shadow world with. Other people to draw runes for her, to watch her back. Finally. After so many years of bearing it alone, she had found them. Clary held her breath and followed Jace and Alec up the grimy stairs that led outside.

They were arguing about Jace's tendency to go through girls like a person with the flu goes through tissues.

Somehow, Clary thought that they might be talking about something more interesting. Like, you know, the upcoming battle (hopefully). "Jace, you can be such a pig." Isabelle rolled her eyes dramatically. "All I'm saying is that you could at least be more considerate when you break their sad little hearts." Clary noticed the set of Jace's shoulders. This was clearly not something he liked to talk about. "Yeah well, they know what they're getting into when the go out with me. And if I were you, I wouldn't be talking, Iz." Isabelle huffed and looked guilty at the same time, and she should have looked hideous, but it only improved her looks. Sometimes, Clary would notice Simon staring at her- not often, but often enough- and she felt a spike of protectiveness. Isabelle was a heartbreaker. Clary came back into the present as she noticed Alec stand up ramrod straight, startlingly different to his normal slumped posture. "Guys." He whispered so softly that Clary had to strain her ears to hear him. It was evident that the others didn't. "Guys!" He said, louder this time. Clary gasped when she saw what he saw, and Aline's Sensor started going crazy in her hand. It was a group of about 14 Eidolon demons, all in human form. Jace and Isabelle finally shut up and everyone- Clary and Aline included- started to pull weapons from their belts. "Only intervene if you have to," murmured Aline, and added very softly, "which we probably will." Clary had taken on packs of demons this big before, but it was still rare. While they still had time, she slid her stele out and marked herself up again, and did the same for Aline. _Sure footedness. Strength. Night vision. _The sun was sinking quickly behind the buildings, adding a dream-like aura. With a cry, Jace leapt forward and swung his seraph blade at the closest demon. Clary's heart was pounding so hard she could feel it in her fingertips, and adrenaline was running through her veins in anticipation of the battle. Her body was coiled like a cat's, ready to spring, muscles tightening in anticipation. Alec and Isabelle plunged into the battle after Jace, a frenzy of slashes and limbs everywhere. Then suddenly, a cry. Alec's blade was knocked from his hand and he was reaching for another, but Clary could already see he wasn't going to get to it quick enough. She sprinted forward, whispering a name- _'Sansavi'- _and as the glowing blade sprang from it's hilt, she plunged it deep into the demons chest. With a hollow cry, it folded in on itself and disappeared, leaving only stains of dark ichor behind. Alec gaped at her for a couple of seconds as she tossed the used seraph blade and grabbed a new one, yelling "_Sanvi!"_ That seemed to jerk him into action, and he brought forth the weapon that he had his hand on for a good ten seconds. Aline had run forward too, and they were ploughing through the demons. Clary could feel the battle euphoria kicking in, time seeming to slow as she slashed and kicked. When she reached down for another weapon, her hand met empty air. Realization set in quickly. They had only brought enough weapons to deal with two demons- on the cautious side of course- but nevertheless, there weren't enough. The rune flashed up in her mind's eyes again. Clary reached for her stele. "What the hell are you _doing_?" Isabelle shouted, her whip already slinging back. But the demon moved to quickly. Clary ignored her and quickly drew the rune on the ground. _Again, again_, her mind urged her. She ran as hard as she could to the opposite side of the battle, about 3 meters away. About three- quarters of the way there, a hand pulled her up by the back of her gear. "Where do you think you're going, Clarissa Fairchild?" A demon hissed. She kicked and punched as hard as she could, but it had little effect on the demon. It reared back its head, revealing rows of glistening teeth- poisonous for sure. Clary screamed loudly. Someone appeared behind the demon, but it was already bringing its teeth down. She jerked out of the way, but not far enough. The teeth clamped down on the back of her leg. It was pure agony. The pain tore through her body and then- subsided a little. She dropped to the ground. The battle was still raging on behind her, the group only having killed about half of the demons. Whoever saved her was yelling at her. "Clary, stop moving!" She was pulling herself towards her stele. Clary grasped it in her clammy palm, and started drawing, quickly and clumsily. As soon as she was finished, howls of pain ripped through the sounds of combat. The demons, Clary saw, were trapped in their spots and heating very quickly. In, fact most of them were on fire. They disappeared, one after the other, leaving only four shocked Shadowhunters staring down at her. Darkness was sweeping through Clary's mind, until finally, she could hold on no longer.


End file.
